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New guy here....come say hello :-D

2K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  samo 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys. I've been browsing the forums but have finally registered so I could participate in some discussions instead of sitting on the sidelines . I have recently acquired a 1995 Nissan Sentra in that Emerald Green color. GXE 5 Speed (I decided to learn how to drive stick so I could get the car...hehehe). It has alot of miles on it though....around 139k. In any case, the car runs good and was well maintained.

Now I'm trying to dress the car up some. It's still in it's stock form except for some wheel covers done by the previous owner. The only thing I've done to it so far is put a deck in...a Pioneer DEH-P7400. Sounds pretty good with the stock speakers....I'll probably put a sub in over time but that's not what I'll do 1st.

Following is a list of mods I plan on doing. Please let me know if you have any comments on anything.

Cosmetic:
- 16" or 17" rims...still deciding but I'd like probably 5 or 6 spoke. I don't plan on dropping the car any just yet, but I would like some rims that fill the wheel wells good.
- New headlights with some hyperwhite bulbs...yet to install these
- Clear corners up front...yet to install these
- 1998 Grille...yet to install this
- Some side skirts would be cool if I could find some....maybe I'll go with those Extreme ones I've been seeing.
- 200SX cluster swap (so I can have a tach...hehehe)...I'll be following 1997GA16DE's instructions
- Carbon fiber gauges from Import Intelligence
- HVAC carbon fiber trimmings from Import Intelligence
- Cluster bulbs...@ Import Intelligence here.

Performance
- Intake...can't remember the name but it has that red accordion thingy at the end of it....recommended to me by a friend
- B&M Short Throw Shifter

I'll probably be getting the rims, shifter, and intake 1st, followed by the cluster swap and the gauge faces.

Anyway, that's my list. I'm welcome to any comments. Thanks again!
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to the site - I'm glad you decided to join and participate! It sounds to me like you've got a good plan going for your mods, which is always a good thing to have. When it comes to wheels, you are going to want a drop. I have 15s on my car, and it's screaming to be lowered. For the headlights, the Nis-knacks crystal clear H4s are very nice, and would look excellent on a green car. For the sides, if you want a clean look, the SE-L skirts are excellent, but hard to find. As for the interior stuff, I haven't seen Import Intelligence parts in person, so I don't know what kind of quality they are, but be warned, none of the overlays are real CF.

The only intake with anything red on the end that I know of is the Weapon-R intake, and that red thing is the filter - you're probably thinking of something else, though. I think you ought to go for a CAI - Place Racing and Hotshot both make nice ones, and Injen makes an adaptor for their WAI. And of course, you can't go wrong with a B&M shifter - good choice!

Anyway, welcome to the site, and keep us updated on the status of your car!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Re: welcome

selrider99 said:
I also have a little project going myself with a 96 sentra..
I will be buying a body kit for my se-l in two months and Iwill be putting the se-l sides on the 96 I will let you know how it looks!!!
Cool thanks do that.

I've edited the 1st post to show the link for the cluster bulbs.

Also here are some rim choices:

#1
#2

I'm starting to like the look of the 6 spokes better than the 5....and I'm also starting to lean towards 17s as opposed to 16s....still not sure



About the mods....do you think I may be investing too much into this car? It does have almost 140,000 miles on it...though it's still running strong.

Any thoughts?
 
#8 ·
How much you invest in your car is solely your decision. Last count I had about $3000 in aftermarket parts, and my car still is nowhere near where I want it to be.

As for the bulbs, I have those same ones, and they're absolutely fantastic for the gauges. Here's a pic for 'ya.



However, $10 a pair is a little pricey for those bulbs. I was able to get mine for $7 a pair from the local tuning shop.

I don't know much about the first wheel, but the second one is a notoriously cheap wheel. It's made by a company called ADR, who makes inexpensive knock-offs of other brands. Unfortunately, as enticing as the price is, the quality is sub-par. You'd be much better off with something else. On a B14, 17s do look very good, but keep in mind that if you're going for performance, 17s will slow you down.

By the way, at 140k your car is just beginning to be broken in! These things last forever!
 
#9 ·
samo said:
How much you invest in your car is solely your decision. Last count I had about $3000 in aftermarket parts, and my car still is nowhere near where I want it to be.

As for the bulbs, I have those same ones, and they're absolutely fantastic for the gauges. Here's a pic for 'ya.



However, $10 a pair is a little pricey for those bulbs. I was able to get mine for $7 a pair from the local tuning shop.

I don't know much about the first wheel, but the second one is a notoriously cheap wheel. It's made by a company called ADR, who makes inexpensive knock-offs of other brands. Unfortunately, as enticing as the price is, the quality is sub-par. You'd be much better off with something else. On a B14, 17s do look very good, but keep in mind that if you're going for performance, 17s will slow you down.

By the way, at 140k your car is just beginning to be broken in! These things last forever!
Thanks for the input! I think I'll stick with 16s for now then, as I do still want some performance. What does the concensus think of Alessio Wheels?

Thanks for the pic on the cluster bulbs, BTW. It's hard to tell from the picture, but does it give the dash that "Infiniti-ish" or "Lexus-ish" look, the way the dash is really bright? Know what I mean?
 
#10 ·
I've never heard of Alessio wheels, so I can't really be of much help there, but a general rule is that if they are cheap, they're probably cheaply made. I would look around for used wheels if I were you - you can usually get nicer ones in decent shape for a good price.

The gauge cluster is very bright at night, enough that I have to turn it down sometimes. I don't quite know what you mean by the "Infinity" or "Lexus" look, but I can say this - the cluster looks very clean and nice at night. Well worth the $14 for the mod :D !
 
#11 ·
samo said:
I've never heard of Alessio wheels, so I can't really be of much help there, but a general rule is that if they are cheap, they're probably cheaply made. I would look around for used wheels if I were you - you can usually get nicer ones in decent shape for a good price.

The gauge cluster is very bright at night, enough that I have to turn it down sometimes. I don't quite know what you mean by the "Infinity" or "Lexus" look, but I can say this - the cluster looks very clean and nice at night. Well worth the $14 for the mod :D !
Good deal. I'll definitely try to get the cluster bulbs. I'm not sure what the street price is of the Alessio wheels, but a friend has an account with a few auto shops down here and can get stuff at wholesale. He's yet to give me any prices though....go fig:rolleyes: Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted.
 
#12 ·
samo said:
Welcome to the site - I'm glad you decided to join and participate! It sounds to me like you've got a good plan going for your mods, which is always a good thing to have. When it comes to wheels, you are going to want a drop. I have 15s on my car, and it's screaming to be lowered. For the headlights, the Nis-knacks crystal clear H4s are very nice, and would look excellent on a green car. For the sides, if you want a clean look, the SE-L skirts are excellent, but hard to find. As for the interior stuff, I haven't seen Import Intelligence parts in person, so I don't know what kind of quality they are, but be warned, none of the overlays are real CF.

The only intake with anything red on the end that I know of is the Weapon-R intake, and that red thing is the filter - you're probably thinking of something else, though. I think you ought to go for a CAI - Place Racing and Hotshot both make nice ones, and Injen makes an adaptor for their WAI. And of course, you can't go wrong with a B&M shifter - good choice!

Anyway, welcome to the site, and keep us updated on the status of your car!
Thanks! I haven't been able to find the crystal clear H4s from NisKnacks; they're sold out from there apparently. Also, I kinda figured they weren't real carbon fiber...hehehe. Do you have the B&M short shifter? If so, how do you like it? How was it going to from the stock one to the B&M? I just recently learned to drive stick, so I'm still a novice user (that sounds kinda bad...the car doesn't cut off on me or anything (anymore) but i think i'm getting good at it:D).

I may get those Extreme sides, but that's down the line though. Of course if I can find the SE-L ones I'd get those...I like the look of those too.
 
#17 ·
I hear you guys about th 16's being faster for racing, and it's true. But listen guy, if your going to spend all this money on rims get something that offers performance AND STYLE. Let's face it, the Sentra could use a little help in that dept. I got 17's and I'm tellin ya, I don't feel slower at all. I am obsessed with the fact that my car looks 10 times nicer then before. In a week, you'll forget about that .000001 of a second you save in your 1/4 mile time, but if you get some sweet looking 17's or 18's whathaveyou, you'll be so happy you'll need a tissue box in the car at all times. and that's forever. You have to keep in mind that if you get some decent racing rims they will most likely be much lighter and you'll be going faster anyways. IMO you should get an intake ASAP, you'll love it. Even if you don't keep the car forever you can still make it much more enjoyable to drive. Enjoy. happy modding.
 
#18 ·
blueboost said:
I hear you guys about th 16's being faster for racing, and it's true. But listen guy, if your going to spend all this money on rims get something that offers performance AND STYLE. Let's face it, the Sentra could use a little help in that dept. I got 17's and I'm tellin ya, I don't feel slower at all. I am obsessed with the fact that my car looks 10 times nicer then before. In a week, you'll forget about that .000001 of a second you save in your 1/4 mile time, but if you get some sweet looking 17's or 18's whathaveyou, you'll be so happy you'll need a tissue box in the car at all times. and that's forever. You have to keep in mind that if you get some decent racing rims they will most likely be much lighter and you'll be going faster anyways. IMO you should get an intake ASAP, you'll love it. Even if you don't keep the car forever you can still make it much more enjoyable to drive. Enjoy. happy modding.
AMEN !! AMEN !!
 
#20 ·
blueboost said:
I hear you guys about th 16's being faster for racing, and it's true. But listen guy, if your going to spend all this money on rims get something that offers performance AND STYLE. Let's face it, the Sentra could use a little help in that dept. I got 17's and I'm tellin ya, I don't feel slower at all. I am obsessed with the fact that my car looks 10 times nicer then before. In a week, you'll forget about that .000001 of a second you save in your 1/4 mile time, but if you get some sweet looking 17's or 18's whathaveyou, you'll be so happy you'll need a tissue box in the car at all times. and that's forever. You have to keep in mind that if you get some decent racing rims they will most likely be much lighter and you'll be going faster anyways. IMO you should get an intake ASAP, you'll love it. Even if you don't keep the car forever you can still make it much more enjoyable to drive. Enjoy. happy modding.
I understand that, but cost is also an issue, and 17s seem to be slightly more expensive than 16s. I am still deciding between the two sizes....if I could find some good 17s at 16 prices, I'd snatch 'em quick.
 
#21 ·
in the meantime, i have the poorman's intake... i removed the lower portion of the airbox. just unclip it, as if you were gonna remove the filter, loosen the screws that clamp the airbox to the piping leading into the TB, so you can move or remove the upper portion. take out the 2 or 3 screws that hold in the lower half of the box, throw it away. (i keep it in the trunk) and reattatch the upper half. the filter might seem like its gonna fall off, so i just used string to "kinda" hold it onto there, but if its facing the fenderwall, and the weight of the box is on the filter, its not really going anywhere... i dont think it does much for performance, maybe 1-2 hp, but it sure sounds nice. haha and its free. also, if you dont mind spending the money on premium fuel, advance your timing to 15* if you have access to a timing light. sentra.net dyno'd a given 5 hp in the midrange and 2 or 3 in the top end gained.
 
#22 ·
Yah, vivid's right. I bet the poor-man's intake is about as good as a WAI anyways (if you use a K&N filter of course) I did that to my 200 and I love it. Only thing I suggest is when you remove the lower portion of the intake box, cut the lip off so you can use it to retain the air filter. Hacksaw the lip off, it will have the clips on it and you can clip the lip back on. The cut lip looks kind of like a licence plate frame with metal clips. Be carefull, I cracked mine in the process. I forgot the car you'll be doing this to, but you'll most likely need to loosten the intake piping a bit and shift the airbox in another direction so your intake will be facing the firewall instead of facing down, that way it will fit perfectly and be supported by the battery and car framework. much better than laying out $200 for a WAI. (IMO!)
 
#23 ·
Another bit of advice - buy used stuff. I got a WAI w/ filter for $60 from Danny Hedges, a Dragon filter with cleaning kit for $40 from 1CLNB14, wheels for $350, gauge cluster, sway bars, and SE-R brakes for $250 from SR20kidD (haven't been installed yet), and a bunch of other things. Used is 99% as good as new - it's not always quite as pretty, but for a guy on a budget, you can't beat it.
 
#24 ·
Damn Samo, you sure know how to shop bro!! We should add another link on the forum for deals we've found for our car's. Like today I found a complete bodykit by erubuni for $606. I wouldn't buy it, but someone might. They also offer the whole front airdam for $126, that's hard to beat! Here's the link just in case you guys want a closer look.

for the airdam
http://www.nopionline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dspboparts&vpcid=086&vtitle=Body Part - Air Dam

whole body kit
http://www.nopionline.com/index.cfm...le=1998 NISSAN 200SX Body Components Body Kit
 
#25 ·
jaggery, just save your money man, It's what a couple hundred more? one more paycheck? Sounds like the only thing you CAN'T afford is TWO sets of rims. Mine as well make the set that you buy KILLER!!! You know as well as I that performance is very expensive, so It takes time to accumulate nice parts. Take your time, don't impulse buy. and samo's idea was "right on the money" for us non-financially-bloated enthusiasts. JMO
 
#26 ·
Maybe it's just me, but the first thing I look at when I'm deciding between what size wheel I want is what tires are available. Not only is this a big cost consideration, but if you truely have any performance interest, this will be perhaps your biggest decision. The tires after all are the only part of the car that actually touch the ground, so any performance you hope to gain will be transmitted (or limited) by the tires you choose.
 
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